Art of manufacturing flax fiber for spinning



Oct. 9 1923.

B. s. SUMMERS ART OF MANUFACTURING FLAX FIBER won srnmme 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 4, 1920 @MM% gy B. s. SUMMERS ART OF MANUFACTURING FLAX FIBER FOR SPINNING Filed Dec. 4. 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fifiriFarid 53167771736716;

Oct. 9, 1923. 1,469,971

y B. S. SUMMERS I ART OF MANUFACTURING FLAX FIBER FOR SPINNING Filed Dec. 4, 1920 asheets-sheit 3 Patented Get. 9, 1923. l r l l' V v I Llfifififi B ERTRA D sisuiuianasfor roar an-RON, arrorrrer an.

' Aaron MAN r orunrrie FLA arena FOR srmnrnei V V Application filed December Q1920. Serial N'o. 428,187. T aZZcu/wm z'ztmdy concern. V i from this scutching machine and' wor'k, and Be 1t known that I, BERTRAND -S. Srnvr passed to the boiler or to the towmachinepas arms, a citizenof the United States, residthe case maybe. This mannerof-op'erating mg at'Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair results in. work that poorly done nd ex- V 6 and State of Michigan, have invented cer-' pensive.

tain new and useful Improvements in "the In my method of manufacture I utilize Art of Manufacturing Flax Fiber for Spin apparatus which combines inqone machine ning, of which the. following is a speciflcathe break and scutching drum. This ma tion. chine is covered by Patent -No. 1,306,032'60 10 This invention relates to a new and im grantedJune 10, 1919, and in itself forms no proved apparatus foruse in the manufacturpart of the present invention. Other ma ing of flax fiber, and more specifically it re-- chines of the same general nature may be lates to means adapted to carry away all refused in connection with the apparatus of my use and dust from the apparatus used in invention. I 1 the breaking and scutching of flax fiber. It is anobject of the present invention to v In the present method of manufacturing provide new and improved means adapted to flax fiber from flax 'straw'for use in male remove all dust andrefusefrom scutching ing linen or for other pur'pose'sa number of machines, or other apparatus of similar manual operators are required The straw types. It is also an object to provide means 2 having been'suitably wetted in streams or of this character adapted to removethis refbogs or by-spreading in the field, it is then use without the necessity of handling it, and hauled to the mill, and is mowed in the barn without permitting the dust to escape in the loft. From this loft, the straw is taken as vicinity of the scutching machine. It is'an-I needed for use in the mill. The straw is other object to provideapparatus-capable of 2 first passed through a mechanism known as adjustment so that'it may properly handle a break, comprising one or more pairs of inthe work. It is an additional objectto pro termeshing corrugated rolls. The. straw vide apparatus which is simple inconstrucafter going throughthe break is gathered in tion relatively inexpensive to manufacture hanks or handfuls and passed to a scutcher and which may be readilyinstalled in con 30 who thrusts the hanks into the scutching nection with existing scutching machines. wheel. The scutching wheel consists ordi- Other and further objects will appear as the narily of a drum provided with. radial description proceeds. i blades. Then the drum is rotated rapidly My apparatus comprises broadly a system these blades beat out the wood and'tow fiber ofventilating hoods and ventilated conveyat 35 from the flax straw, andthe operator retains ors, adapted to remove all refuse from'th'e in his hand the long fiber or scutched'line. vicinity 'of the scutchingmachines as soon In the operation of the break and of the as it is created. p Y v scutching wheel large volumes of dust and I have illustrated a preferred'embodiment of small particles of wood and tow fiber are of my invention in the accompanying drawcreated. These large volumes of finely diings,in which V g 7 vided matter render the work-unhealthy and Figure l is a plan View showing my ap uneconomical, and it is difficult to secure opparatus assembled in connection with a'plu'' erators to work on these machines. This ralityof scutchi'ngmachines', certain per-' dust is also highly inflammable and greatly tions being broken away; V 45 increases the fire risk. Attempts have here-' V Figure 2 is a side elevation of the appatofore been made to provide means for prop- 'ratus shown in Figure 1; portions being fbro' erly ventilatingscutching machines, but they ken away to better show the construction; are of such form that it has generally'been Figure 3 isfa section taken on line 3 3, considered impossible to collect all of the Figure 1]; i l 5' 50 dust arising from-them. In general practice Figure 4 is a perspective View showing the refuse and tow are; swept or scraped the hoods for thescutching machines; and

. supported in any which the pipe 11 ilty of flannel which is connected the eXhaust pipe 18, lead-. .ing to the fan 19. This fan 19, is'connected by h xha st pipe 2 t h s heX the dust box being provided with the pluralsuspended from the wire 23, as shown, or desired manner.

a he scutch-ing machines are shown more in detail in Figure 3 and comprise the pair of erpeee r h rol s 5, an he nte a'ct hg se tehi g drums-2 2 Th hr eK rolls ar d ven y a te he connection with the arcuate surface of the rocker 30.-

This drive gives to the break-rolls a rotary movement which is reversed in direction at each reversal of movement of the rocker arm, The hood 8, shown in detail in Figure 5}, fitted over the scutching machine,

he inne ieh e th e d ei g div ded o. th e ehemhere- Th u d P i i f fierme the re hemhea h c as Shown Itigure 3 encloses the scutching drums.

of the intermediate chamber,

The d gene p t t h term t f t a. 7 h hamb eihg'leeet la e-e he break enew, 2 The fer ett ehemher leee d f ardly f h ed-t ne" member ofe m hine Te. pe ie .2, intersec he enla g d e ter rettieh o exhaust pipe, SQ tha he Pipe dae el o e me hte hd he e mi e-. ch m The dam e 3. Op a e by he an le a s:

provided for the purpose of varying the prope t es o e ai k n m h te mediate and the forward chambers. The curved shu ea X eeds f om be o e.

br ak rolls to the op'ening36, in the side of boX a'nd'hood. This shute is the conveyor ly eheleee l nd es th pp m a bet 37. V As best shown in Figure 3, the angular eh h ewey 3 s pen d by h hens ers 89, in the conveyor box, and serves to guide the working run of the conveyor. This conveyor'comprises detachable sprockhalt o he usual ype: A ho n in der a n. Eaters the link 40, has pivoted reto he eehv ye fo k eh h k is er idee ith he. e ex e si n .2, an knee brace 43. The adjacent link 474:, is preitletl i the oller eh- .A h w is his tree, the eller .571s ert etl h n he ng iron guideway 38, and the conveyor fork TheboX is bags 22, These bags may be drew fr h th the h-= has its upper portion and rear extension coacting with the under side of the angle irons. This construction is such as to maintain the conveyor fork 4:1, in angular relation to the guideway. As shown in Figure 2, the left end of the conveyor has been elevated, but it may be, constructed in any preferred manner to discharge refuse at any desired point. f V

In the use of my apparatus, the conveyor is continued in operation while the machines are being used, and the suction is also continuously created in the header 10, and thepipe 18. The operator of the soutching chine takes the hanks of flax and inserts the end of thehanks between the break rolls 24:, 25. These rolls carry the flax straw hetween them so that it may be acted uponby the scutching drums 26,27. Due, however, to the reversalv of the direction of rotation of the break rolls after the'ha nks of straw have been carried inward for the predetermined distance, thereversal of the break rolls draws the fiber outwardly. The openator has retained his grasp upon the hanks and reverses it to insert the unscutched end between the break rolls, and this. end is ops erated upon by the break rolls, as before.

During the e k g and et h s, le s amount of dust and woody fragments aredetached from the straw, the heavier particles fall down the sh-ute 35, while the lighter: particles are drawn'ofi by'atheair suction through the intermediate and for ward chambers of the hood. The fragments of woody matter beaten out by the scutch ing drum, fall down the shute 35, the ma e l being arr ed by ra ty an y suction into the conveyor box 7 In this heX the e :1 s eep the e d a d theteW fibe le-1 s h e and a s o n in gures eh 'Z, di herges t t e ele dehd t the eeeyer, wh i Pr fer b y eeeted t! an her roo r m th I scutching machine so as to avoid the oreation ofdust adjacent to the machine. The lighter particles of matter in the conveyor box are carrie through the perforated member 16, by the suction of the fan1 9. This air drops a portion of its dustin the boX 21, the air passing out through the porous bags 22, the bags, however. serving to retain any particles of dust still carried by the air. A shown in Figure 2, the con- I Veyer f ks whi a e p e l y 6011 19 3 el to h o y r lin s ave ownward, as sho n e peh he idl tr e o the ee y r and wh they e gag them P P r i on t th con yor ex 1", hey e sw ng pw d y he e xte s o .2 e gages th eress. bar- ,8, thee swin ngthe te h ever, as ishewh at. he he feds te'ea ri el a t-sued thev r lle 6, h y eng ge the a gle reh st leway, as has been described.

By the use of apparatus constructed according tethis invention all refuse and dust is automatically removed, without the ne cessity for any handling operation. The

speed of operation of the conveyor, the

draft created by the fan 12, and that created by tl1e'fan1i9,maybeivaried to suit the amount of work. Similarly the proportion of draft allowed to the intermediate and the forward hood chambers also may be varied so that the lift of the air may be sufficient to handle only the dust, or the smaller particles, as well, if desired. The forward chamber'effectively prevents the passage of of the dust outwardly toward the operator.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising a plurality of individual scutching machines, a conveyor adapted to carry away the refuse from the machines, a box enclosing said conveyor, and means adapted to pass a dust carrying current of air through said box in the direction away from the cutching machines.

2. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, a conveyor leading from said machines, a box enclosing said conveyor, the conveyor comprising an endless chain and carrier forks hingedly associated therewith, the forks being adapted to sweep the refuse from the scutching machines along the conveyor box, a flanged guideway extending adjacent the working travel of the conveyors, and members carried by the forks engaging opposite faces of the guideway flanges to retain the forks in angular relation to the chain. 7

3. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a scutching drum, a divided hood associated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutching drum, a second portion covering the breaking rolls, separate passages leading from the two portions and means for creating currents of air in the passages.

4. Apparatus for treating. flax traw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a. scutching drum, a divided hood associated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutching drum, a second portion covering the breaking rolls and a third portionopening in front of the breaking rolls and means adapted to create currents of air through the portions of the hoods.

5. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a scutching drumg, a; divided hood associated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutching drum, a second portion covering the breaking rolls, a third portion opening in front of the breaking rolls, and means adapted to createcurrentsof air through the portions of the hood, the second and third portionsbeingconnected to a common sourceof air current and means to vary the proportion ofthe common currentafl'ecting each portion of the hood. 6. Apparatusfor treating flax straw com-.

prising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a scutching drum, a

divided hoodassociated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutch-j ing drum, a second portion covering the breaking rolls, a third portion opening in front of the breaking rolls, and means adapt ed to create currents of air through the portions of the hood, the portion covering the scutching drum being connected to a'co-nveyor adapted to carry away refuse from the machine.

7. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and scutching drums, a divided hood associated with the machine,

one portion of the hood covering the break-,

ing rolls, another portion opening in advance of the rolls, a common air exhaust pipe connected to the two portions and a damper in the pipe adapted to vary the exhaust from the two portions.

8. Apparatusfor treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a scutching drum, 2. divided hood associated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutche ing drum, a second portion covering the breaking rolls, andthe third portion opening in front of the breaking rolls and means adapted to create currents of air through the portions of the hood, the air being drawn downward from the first portion of the hood and upward from the last two portions of the hood.

9. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a scutching drum, a divided hood associated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutching drum, a second portion covering the breaking roll, and the third portion opening in front of the breaking rolls and means adapted to create currents of air-through the portions of the hood, the air being drawn downward from the first portion of the hood and upward from the last two portions of the hood, the air discharging into dust boxes adapted to receive the small refuse carried by the air, porous means permitting the exhaust of the air.

10. Apparatus for treating flax straw comprising scutching machines, provided with breaking rolls and a scutching drum, a divided hood associated with the machine, one portion of the hood covering the scutching drum, a second portion covering the'breaking roll, anda third portion opening in hood,

ed to Create currents of air through the portions'ofthe hood the air bein 'idraxvn down- Ward from the first portion of the'hood and upward from; the last two portions of the the air by the air, porousfieb-rie bags being'associated with the dust boxes to permit exhaust of the air butto'retainthe refuse therein. 1 Si ned at 'Ghicago, Illinois, this 3(FthdaQy of N ovember, 19205 discharging into'dust boxes 7 adapted to receive the smell refuse carried BERTRA D e. SUMMERS; 

